It’s the annual spring fling—the snowbirds leave and kingfish arrive. Not that anyone along the Central Gulf Coast is shooing away our northern visitors, but just about the time their cool season visits are wrapping up, local anglers start preparing for the spring king run.

A marker attracts baifish and a light-wire stringer rig.

Having wintered in the warm waters off the Florida Keys, the fish begin their northward push around late February. March to mid-May sees the migration passing the coasts between Charlotte and Pasco counties. As summer sets in, the fish move onward to their spawning grounds in the northern Gulf, before returning south along the same course for another winter.

Weather greatly affects the timing of kingfish migrations. For one thing, windy conditions stir coastal waters and push the fish offshore. Also, kings favor water temperatures of about 68 to 75 degrees, so early or late warmups will adjust their travel plans.

Some “resident” kingfish live year-round in deep offshore ranges like the Florida Middle Ground (about 75 miles west of Tarpon Springs), but these are predominantly large, mature fish that have staked out livable digs and leave all the running to the youngsters. That said, the migrations also see plenty of huge kings in the 40-plus pound range.

FIND THE FISH

Wrecks, reefs, ledges and natural hard bottom are the likely kingfish haunts. Private spots are a plus, but local charts provide coordinates for several well-known and often productive reefs and wrecks. Marked with buoys, many of these spots sit just a few miles off the beach.

Artificial reef construction varies from demolition rubble to sunken barges to Army surplus tanks. Some have been supplemented with additional structure drops that stretch a significant distance from the center numbers, so always work broad patterns around the buoys.

In addition to targeting particular spots, anglers often find kings through visual cues. Kingfish tournament veteran Robyn Dawson of St. Petersburg said he looks for three things that invariably lead him to spring kings: “Bait, bait and more bait. On the surface and on the bottom. It doesn’t make a difference as long as the food is there. Because those kings are hungry and they’re looking for a meal.”

Feeding kings will drive schools of sardines and threadfin herring topside like a cornerback running a wide receiver out of bounds. Showering at the surface, baitfish will erupt in sudden whitewater waves as kingfish slash at them from below. Scan the horizon for clouds of low-flying birds, which dip and dive toward the action in hopes of scoring an easy meal from the kingfish’s table scraps.

Elsewhere, boat and ship channels leading into major waterways like Tampa Bay and Charlotte Harbor create veritable food funnels for kings. From a fish’s perspective, channels are just long continuous ledges that hold plenty of bait and provide quick access to deep water. When tides push through the inlets, bait schools get stacked up on channel edges and kings have their pick of bountiful vittles.

“When a king comes through at 30 miles an hour, it’s a lot easier looking at 100 baits rather than one,” Dawson said. “He just runs at them with his mouth open.”

Because big kings like big meals, Dawson often looks for schools of Spanish mackerel and bonito—both regular targets for whopper kings. In the classic food chain example, mackerel and bonito will ravage bait schools at the surface, and when they’re not watching their backs, kings will rush in for a big bite.

In all scenarios, you can help kingfish find your baits by filling the water with a scent trail formed by a combination of chumming methods. A good mix comprises a frozen chum block in a mesh bag hung from a midship cleat, an IV style dripper bag slowly dispensing drops of menhaden oil and a few small chunks of cut baitfish. Be careful not to overdo it with the latter. Just lay out a line of shimmering tidbits that kings will gobble all the way to your bait spread.